Flight-hearted
by Oribird
Summary: Guneagle takes Shute out to see a whole new world.


**Author's Note:** Uh this would take place sometime after Guneagle's introduction but while Fenn is still small. Also yes the title is a terrible pun.

 **Flight-hearted**

"Heeey Shute!"

The youngest member of the Gundam Force turned to find Guneagle. He and Captain stopped, letting the flight-based mecha to approach them.

"Guneagle!" the boy was all smiles as he greeted the Neotopian gundam, Captain nodded a hello by his side.

"You two busy? I got a training flight scheduled in a couple minutes, so I figured I'd back up the offer of taking you for ride," Guneagle's eyes betrayed no mischief, but his voice was all smiles as he point over his shoulder with a thumb to the direction of the launch bay.

"Huh?!" Shute's eyes widened, and a conversation they'd had previously when Shute had jokingly asked if Guneagle would take him flying sometime bubbled up, "Um, but I- Uh- I'm not- Is that- Urh-"

"We were just here for a visit," Captain spoke up over Shute's bumbling, he turned to the boy gaining his attention, "Don't worry Shute, Guneagle will keep you safe." The aforementioned gundam nodded eagerly with Captain's words.

Shute eyed his best friend for a long minute, before turning sparkling eyes to Guneagle, "Alright! If it's okay!"

"Of course it is! Let's go!" the flying gundam was already dragging the smiling boy down the hall, leaving Captain to watch after them.

"All ready to go Guneagle?" Juli's voice came over the radio.

Guneagle had just docked into the launcher, his feet securely latched onto the slingshot platform, "Yep, just one more thing." Carefully the mech leaned over as best he could, reaching behind the nearby Shute and scooping him up.

The boy let out a yelp as he was pulled up. "H-hey wait, I don't think this is the right way!" Shute sounded frantic, his face flushed as he tried to sit up in the Gundam's arms.

Guneagle only pulled him closer and winked behind his visor, "C'mon, what do you expect me to carry you by your belt? That isn't exactly safe you know."

Shute cringed at the gundam's word. He probably wasn't wrong, and he knew for a fact it didn't feel very nice either. The first time he'd met Zero, the knight gundam was practically dragging him along and it had given him a terrible wedgie. …Not that he'd ever told anyone about it.

"It's kinda… Girly though isn't it? Zero only carries girls this way, and it's not like I'm a princess," the boy's words held a tinge of irritation in them.

A chuckle came from the dark blue mech, "You might not be a princess, but when you're with me you'll be the prince of the sky! Juli, we're ready!"

"Affirmative," the young woman responded, "Hold on tight Shute."

Zero sneezed suddenly, the force of it resulting in his head bobbing down. The knight sniffed curiously and rubbed at his facemask, ignoring how Fenn floated closer with a noise of wonder.

"Wow!" Shute laughed as he peered down at the city of Neotopia far below them, straining in Guneagle's hold, "We're really high up! I could probably see my house from here!"

"Wanna go higher?" Guneagle offered and stifled a laugh at the twinkle in the boy's eyes and his cheer of "YES!". "Up, up and away we go," the winged gundam joked as he directed his flight path to take them just above the clouds. They wouldn't be able to stay up here too long, after this height was for planes and Shute would be short of breath. But seeing the delight and wonder on the young honorary member's face as he dragged his fingers through the white puffs of air was probably worth it. Probably.

Shute attempted to scoop up part of a cloud passing under them, mesmerized by the wispy remainders that rolled off his arms, "This is so cool! I've always wanted to touch a cloud!"

"I can think of something else cooler, that you'll really enjoy!"

"Really?"

"Sure, check this out!" Guneagle adjusted his thrusters climbing a little higher into the air, "You may want to close your eyes for this!" With a loud whoop, the gundam shifted his wings to a more aerodynamic angle and arched downwards, shooting beneath the clouds.

Ignoring Guneagle's advice; Shute watched wide-eyed as the white around them disappeared, making way for the ocean below them. Unable to contain his excitement at their spine-tingling downclimb, Shute let out his own holler and clung tightly to the mech's chest armor.

Just before they could crash into the deep blue water, Guneagle adjusted himself. Purposefully dragging his toes through the water on his swoop to spray some of the sparkling liquid about.

They soared over the ocean, Shute admiring it just like he had the clouds. To him, it was no doubt like he was experiencing everything he already knew in a whole knew way. While to Guneagle, it was almost a cruel fantasy come to life as he showed the boy _his_ world. But… He wouldn't trade this flight for single other moment. What other time would he be able to enjoy seeing the Gundam Force's special member smile so close…

Guneagle shook his head, this was a special moment between the two of them and he would enjoy it while he could. Letting his sorrowful thought slip away, the navy and white gundam spotted a colony of seagulls just ahead of them.

"Hey Shute!" Guneagle called down to the kid and directing his attention away from putting his hands in the water, "Check this out."

The flight mech lowered the output from his boosters as he once again moved upward; but rather than going as high as he did before, Guneagle leveled out in the midst of the seagulls to glide amongst them. Guneagle gave a wink to one of the birds that swiveled its head to look at them, and the duo laughed as its eyes appeared to wide and its beak dropped.

"Guneagle," a voice crackled over their radio, "You've completed the time requirement for your test flight, return to Blanc Base."

"Aww," Shute whined and he looked to the gundam holding him with pleading eyes, "Can't we go for just a _little_ longer?"

A chuckle left the mech as he shook his head, "Sorry kiddo, orders are orders, besides I'm almost out of jet fuel." Shute only groaned in response, but didn't try to beg again as they pulled away from the seagulls and turned back to base.

Guneagle set Shute down gently as he returned to Blanc Base's launch bay.

"So…" the mech's blue visor snapped up exposing his green eyes, "How did it feel to be a mile high with a _real_ winged gundam?"

The question prompted a laugh from the boy and he smiled up at the mech, "Thanks Guneagle, it was really fun!"

Suddenly a voice called from the other side of the bay, "Shute!"

The boy turned, beaming even brighter as he spotted his best friend and he waved excitedly, "Captain!" A metal hand on his shoulder halted Shute in the midst of his first step, and he turned back around to face Guneagle.

There was an almost sullen look in the gundam's eyes as he looked down at the boy, "Is it really a princely thing to do to just run off and leave his knight without a parting gift?" Shute blinked up at Guneagle as he tried to think of what he had meant. The navy gundam watched intently as Shute's face turned a brilliant red, and when the young human made a motion with his hand to lean down Guneagle was certain he could feel his own circuitry overheating as the boy planted a quick kiss to his cheek.

As soon as those soft lips touched the side of his mask they were gone, and Shute was running off down the side of the launch pad as he called over his shoulder with a laugh, "Let's go again sometime, o' great flying knight!"

Maybe. Just maybe, fantasy didn't always turn out to be so cruel after all.


End file.
